Lee Sedol - Gu Li rivalry

Introduction

China'sGu Li & S. Korea'sLee Sedol formed the 21st century's first international rivalry, contesting the status of unofficial world's strongest.[1] As of July 2014, the two players have officially played each other in 44 games. The score is 22-21 in Lee's favor. A no result occurred in one match, which was the result of a rare quadruple ko position.

According to An Younggil 8p, Gu Li displays his superior opening skills and timing of initiating fights, while Yi Se-tol displays his tenacity and superior endgame technique. Both excel in complex fighting, but with Yi having a slight edge.

On the other hand, the endgame has presented itself as a weakness for Gu Li, being the cause of at least a few of his losses against Lee Sedol. In fact, all but one of the eight games which did not end with resignation were won by Yi, including four half-point finishes. Most recently was the 2012 Samsung Cup, wherein Gu twice had the advantage coming into the late middlegame, but due to endgame mistakes wasn't able to carry either to a victory.

Ten Game Match

In 2013, a 10-game match (aka jubango) was scheduled between the two players for the following year. The prize money was allotted as 5,000,000-yuan for the winner and 200,000-yuan for the loser, and was sponsored by MLily.